LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson scored 38 points to tie a playoff career high, Jackie Young had a go-ahead follow shot with 12.4 seconds left and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Seattle Storm 74-73 on Thursday night to secure a spot in the WNBA semifinals.
Wilson, who had 25 points in the second half, had a layup roll off the rim with 25 seconds left and Erica Wheeler raced the other way on a 2-on-1 break with Skylar Diggins. Wheeler pulled up in the lane to sink a jumper to give Seattle a 73-72 lead with 18
seconds remaining.
Wilson missed another shot, but Young was there for the putback. After a timeout to get to midcourt, Wheeler had a good look from the free throw line that hit off the back rim and Seattle could not get off another shot before the buzzer.
Las Vegas secured its seventh consecutive semifinal appearance. The second-seeded Aces advance to play on Sunday against No. 6 Indiana, which eliminated Atlanta earlier.
Young finished with 14 points and Chelsea Gray had 12 points and eight assists for Las Vegas. Wilson, who was 14 of 26 from the field and 10 of 11 at the line, scored 30-plus points in a playoff game for the sixth time in her career — tied for the second-most in WNBA history.
Nneka Ogwumike scored 14 of her 16 points in the second half for Seattle. Wheeler also scored 16 and Diggins added 13.
Diggins made a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner with 1:14 remaining to give Seattle a 71-70 lead, its first since it was 24-23. After a timeout, Wilson made a shot in the lane to regain the lead.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
